Never Again
by Alvera
Summary: Set before Holly, Dan etc left. When George Woodman returns to Holby as a registrar a ghost from her past comes back to haunt her. BM
1. She Arrives

1 Never Again – Part 1  
  
Freddie  
  
'This is weird' George thought as she stepped through the doors into reception.  
  
"George!" Amy exclaimed as she saw George "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I," George replied "am the new registrar"  
  
"Oh, do want to see Max then?"  
  
"If at all possible."  
  
"Well, he and Charlie are actually in conference with Dan at the moment but…"  
  
"GEORGE!!!" George turned hearing her name exclaimed from the other side of reception.  
  
"Hi Chloe" She said as Chloe rushed over from the other side of reception.  
  
"It's great to see you again, are you the new registrar?"  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"Oh, you have done well for yourself, well, good luck because you'll probably have to cope with the senior registrar."  
  
"Oh dear, when I'm warned about the senior registrar in one of my first conversations it does not bode well."  
  
"Am I that bad?" Patrick asked coming up behind her.  
  
"Ah," She said turning round, "you must be the senior registrar"  
  
"Yes, Patrick Spiller, and you are?"  
  
"Georgina Woodman, but everyone calls me George."  
  
"Hi, I think Max and Charlie are in conference with Dan so If you want I'll show you round"  
  
"Thanks" She said. Amy turned to Chloe "He's never that nice to anyone is he?"  
  
"Nope" Chloe replied.  
  
"Well, this is Resusc…" Patrick said as they walked into Resusc.  
  
"Um, Patrick…" George started.  
  
"George," Duffy interrupted, "Good to see you again."  
  
"Hi Duffy" George replied.  
  
"Oh, do you two know each other?" Patrick asked  
  
"Um, yeah, I was an SHO here"  
  
"Oh"  
  
"But it's weird, I hardly know anyone here."  
  
"Oh, that's a slight exaggeration isn't it?" Duffy asked  
  
"Not that much of one, so far I've only met 3 people who I know"  
  
"Yeah but come on you've only been here for about 5 minutes"  
  
"True, so, who's left? Has Mark left?"  
  
"Yep"  
  
"Well, I know that Charlie and Max haven't left because Amy mentioned them, has Tina left?"  
  
"Yep, she's married to Sean and living in sunny Australia with him. But you'll soon find out who's still here. Max wants to see you as soon as you arrive, so I'd go up to his office now"  
  
"Ok, but aren't he and Charlie in conference with Dan, or someone like that."  
  
"Yeah, Dan the critical care manager. Well, that's the first I've heard of it. I'll go and have a look if you like."  
  
"Thanks" George replied smiling. As she stood in Resusc she tried to see if she could recognise anyone. Apart from the people who she'd already met she saw Penny and Josh but apart from that she knew no one. By the time Duffy got back Colette, Holly and Spencer had confused her with relatives and tried to send her off to the relatives room.  
  
"You can go and see him," Duffy said waking her from her thoughts "but I warn you, be prepared for the Spanish inquisition, Dan and Charlie are staying to meet you."  
  
"Well, thanks for the warning." But when she walked into Max's office she was the one in for a shock.  
  
"Ah, George, pleased to see you again." Charlie said when she walked in.  
  
"And you Charlie, Max" She replied.  
  
"Ah, Dan this is Georgina Woodman, our new registrar" Max said introducing them. "George, this is Dan Robinson, our Critical Care Manager"  
  
"Pleased to meet you" George said shaking Dan's hand, but it was clear to Max that she didn't mean it, she didn't mean it at all. 


	2. The Gossip Starts

1 Never Again 2  
  
"She knows him" Max told Charlie, Duffy and Colette while they were eating in the canteen, "She definitely knows him"  
  
"Oh? Don't leave me out on the Goz," Chloe said sitting down with them. "Who definitely knows who?"  
  
"According to Max" Duffy explained "George definitely knows Dan"  
  
"Oh, come off it Max, George does not know Dan" Chloe said.  
  
"Ok, Colette, first impressions of George?"  
  
"Hmm, Cheerful, nice, friendly, She greeted everyone with a smile, but I'd say she's not afraid to stand up for herself" Colette replied.  
  
"I rest, my case" Max said  
  
"What is your case?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Colette said that she greeted everyone with a smile, but Charlie, didn't you hear her voice when she greeted him? There wasn't a single degree of sincerity in it"  
  
"I suppose you're right" Charlie agreed. The other's still looked dubious however.  
  
"And the look she gave him, well, if looks could kill then that look could have killed a herd of wild elephants"  
  
"Really?" Duffy asked  
  
"That's not like her" Chloe said  
  
"That's why I think she must know him"  
  
"I suppose you're right," Chloe said, "I mean, I've heard of love at first sight, but Hate at first sight?"  
  
Ç é î ê à ç å ü ë è  
  
Meanwhile at another table, in another corner of the Canteen, George, Penny and Josh were talking about Tom. Unbeknown to Penny and Josh, Dan was walking up behind them.  
  
"So, how old is Tom?" Penny asked  
  
"He must be about 7 now" Josh said.  
  
"Yeah, he had his 7th birthday a couple of weeks ago"  
  
"Who?" Dan asked, making Penny and Josh jump.  
  
"George's son," Penny said, before George could stop her.  
  
"Oh?" Dan said.  
  
"Yeah," George said, "He's a little angel, it's quite scary really"  
  
"Oh, I wonder where he got that from?" Josh teased.  
  
"Well, it's not his father" George said pointedly.  
  
  
  
H E L L O  
  
Meanwhile back at Max's table.  
  
"What we need is someone who George will trust" Max said.  
  
"That rules out you Chloe" Duffy said.  
  
"Someone that she'll talk to" Max said  
  
"That rules out you two, Charlie and Max"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't want to disappoint you but who in their right mind talks to the senior management."  
  
"Ok then, but we preferably need someone who she doesn't know very well"  
  
"Which rules me out, which means that…" Duffy started  
  
"I have to do it" Colette finished.  
  
"Now there's a good idea" Max said.  
  
"Look, I'll do it BUT on one condition" Colette said.  
  
"That all depends on what the condition is." Max said.  
  
"If she makes me promise not to tell anyone, then I can't tell you, Ok?"  
  
"Ok" Max agreed.  
  
E V E R Y B O D Y  
  
"3028 are you receiving?" At George's table Penny and Josh's radio crackled to life.  
  
"Sorry, gotta go" Josh apologised. As soon as Penny and Josh had gone Dan turned to George.  
  
"Um, I was wondering, do you want to go for a drink tonight?"  
  
"No," George said quietly "Never again"  
  
  
  
1.1 Spoiler  
  
When Colette corners George in the staff room she promises to tell the truth the, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; But does she. 


	3. The Truth

1 Never Again – Part 3  
  
By Freddie  
  
George felt like screaming at him. 'No, don't rise to the challenge' She told herself. She took a deep breath and walked away. This was just another one of her petty arguments with Dan. They often argued over the tiniest of things and most of the department had got used to it. But just because they had got used to it doesn't mean that the gossip stopped, or even slowed down. In fact over the past few days since George arrived gossip had escalated to an all time high, even Max and Charlie were involved. George walked into the staff room, collapsed on a nearby sofa and put her head in her hands. She heard the door open and close again. She looked up and saw Colette standing by the door.  
  
"How do you know him?" She asked.  
  
"I don't" George replied uncomfortably.  
  
"It's all people are talking about, the evidence is quite convincing."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like the way you greeted him, all your arguments, the way you avoid him. You don't seem like the sort of person who would do that to someone you don't know"  
  
"Innocent until proved guilty"  
  
"You sound like you're on trial"  
  
"I feel like it"  
  
"Look," Colette said trying a different approach, "sometimes it's good to talk to someone"  
  
"Ok," George said, sensing that Colette wasn't going to go away until she got some sort of answer. "He was the critical care manager at a hospital which I worked at and we didn't get on"  
  
"Complete and utter hogwash"  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Because I know for a fact that this is the first hospital where Dan has been a critical care manager and he arrived about the same time that I did. So, how do you know him?"  
  
"You're not going to give up are you?"  
  
"No"  
  
"OK, OK, I'll tell you but if I do you have to swear not to tell anyone"  
  
"Ok, I swear"  
  
"A few years ago, quite a few in fact, about 8 years ago, I was training to become a doctor. I was already a nurse and I was working at a hospital in Surrey, I met a nurse there and we started going out. We went out for about a year and I even moved in with him. Then one day we had a huge argument and I blurted out that I was pregnant, not the most subtle approach, he stormed out and we never really saw each other again. He worked in ITU and I worked in A&E so we didn't even see each other at work. Shortly after that I left the hospital and he never knew that I had had the baby, he thought that I was having an abortion."  
  
"Are you saying what I think you are?" Colette asked in amazement. George nodded and said, "Dan is Tom's father"  
  
Spoiler  
  
It's George's Birthday – This could be interesting 


	4. George's Birthday

1 Never Again 4  
  
Max clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention. When I say everyone, I mean everyone in the department except Duffy, Colette and George. You see it was George's birthday and George and Colette were going for a drink at the blue raccoon. Unbeknown to George however most of A&E were also gathered in the blue raccoon.  
  
"Is everyone here?" Max asked  
  
"Well apart from Colette and George, I think…" Chloe said, "Oh, hang on Duffy isn't here"  
  
"Ah" Max said "Duffy is picking Tom and Peter up from an after school activity"  
  
"What about Jake" Chloe asked. Max shrugged  
  
"I assume that he's at home with Andrew"  
  
"That's a good point, where is Andrew?"  
  
"Oh, Andrew was ill" Max said "Some sort of virus I think"  
  
"They're coming," Penny, who was keeping an eye open for George and Colette, said.  
  
"Ok, when they come in sing happy birthday, but until then, try and look inconspicuous"  
  
"Oh, no it isn't, it's Duffy with Tom and Peter" Max laughed  
  
"How on earth did you manage to confuse Duffy, Tom and Peter with George and Colette?" He asked  
  
"Oh, hang on, they are coming," Just as Penny said this Duffy, Tom and Peter came in. Max crouched so he was at the same level as Tom and Peter.  
  
'Now, when George comes in will you sing happy birthday for her?" Peter said "Yes" and Tom just nodded. As a hush crept over everyone they could hear George's voice outside.  
  
"And then He had the cheek to say…"  
  
"George," They heard Colette's voice, "I'd end this conversation if I was you,"  
  
"Why?" The handle pushed down.  
  
"Because, just because" The door opened and everyone (including Colette) burst into 'Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear George, Happy birthday to you' George looked shocked, she hadn't told anyone that it was her birthday. One of the first thoughts that crossed her mind was 'I'm gonna kill Dan'. When they'd finished their rendition of happy birthday Tom ran over to George and for a moment Colette saw George's expression become fixed. Colette knew exactly what had crossed George's mind 'Has Dan talked to Tom'.  
  
"Um, Duffy" Colette asked Duffy, "how long have you been here?"  
  
"Oh, we arrived just before you, just in time in fact." Colette smiled and walked over to George and told her that there was no way that Dan could have talked to Tom.  
  
"How did they know?" George whispered to Colette, "I never told anyone here, I bet Dan told them"  
  
"I really don't know, Duffy was the person who told me, so, I'd ask her."  
  
"I will" George wandered over to Duffy while Colette tried, unsuccessfully, to get Tom to talk to her.  
  
"Duffy, How did you know that it was my birthday?" George asked, glancing accusingly at Dan.  
  
"Well, you see, Tom told Peter who told me, and also, Andrew confirmed that it was" As Duffy walked off to talk to Max, George smiled to herself. 'Of course,' She thought 'Andrew knew because she had celebrated her birthday at Broadway, and Tom and Peter were best friends' George sighed with relief. Suddenly a voice behind her made her jump.  
  
"Before you say anything, no I didn't tell Duffy that it was your birthday."  
  
"Dan," George said, "I never thought that you did"  
  
"Yes, you did, I could see it in your eyes. And also, no I didn't get a chance to talk to Tom."  
  
"Oh, thinking of Tom, we'd better be getting home." Now for some reason all the people who were in a 2 metre radius seemed to hear this.  
  
"You can't go," Colette said bringing Tom over, "you've only just got here"  
  
"I know…" George said.  
  
"I can feel a but coming on" Duffy said  
  
"Tom has to have tea and an early night for tomorrow" George said picking Tom up.  
  
"Why? What's happening tomorrow?" Dan asked.  
  
"Tom is playing the main part in the drama club production of 'The Pied Piper of Hamlin'" George replied.  
  
"OOH, and what part is that?" Dan asked Tom.  
  
"'The Pied Piper' silly" Peter replied for Tom.  
  
"Oh, of course, Silly me" George rolled her eyes in exasperation. If it was anyone else it would have been funny, but it was Dan so it was annoying, wasn't it? Somehow it didn't seem as annoying as it used to. Could it be she was falling in… 'No' She told herself firmly 'Dan is a colleague, that's all. He walked out on me knowing that I was pregnant. He is a colleague now, nothing else' She was brought back to her senses by Colette trying to get Tom to do something other than nod or shake his head. She'd almost given up when Tom asked in a small voice, "What's your name?" Colette smiled, pleased that she'd finally got him to say something.  
  
"Colette" She replied.  
  
"That's a pretty name" Tom said.  
  
"Thanks" She replied.  
  
"Come on Tom" George said "We'd better be going"  
  
"A Toast first…" Duffy called  
  
"Why do they want toast?" Asked Tom.  
  
"No, no no, sweetie" George said kissing him on the forehead, "not toast, a toast. That's when… I'll explain on the way home" Colette interrupted with a toast.  
  
"To the worlds best kept secret," She said, raising her glass and looking at George, "your true age" Laughter greeted this as everyone said cheers.  
  
"Now we really DO have to go" George said  
  
"Ok, Have a very happy birthday though" Colette said, adding to Tom "You look after your mum for me, she's getting old" George laughed indignantly. Colette smiled as George and Tom walked out. The smile faded from her face as Dan made his excuses and followed.  
  
A B C  
  
"George!" He called as George and Tom walked over to her car. She ignored him. "George!" He persisted, "George, I just want to talk to you"  
  
"Tom," She said bending down so she was a his level "you get in the car." Tom nodded as pressed the button to unlock the car. George then walked over to Dan.  
  
"Go on then," she said, "I'm all ears"  
  
"I just want to see to Tom, just speak to him, I am his father you know"  
  
"For all he knows you could be a complete stranger"  
  
"I have a right to see him you know"  
  
"Dan," She said, raising her voice and glancing sideways at Tom who looked blissfully unaware of his parents arguing. She lowered her voice "you lost all your rights to him when you walked out on me when I was pregnant. That's the long and short of it I'm afraid" And with that George walked away, got into her car and drove away.  
  
Spoiler  
  
Just some random mumblings, or are they? 


	5. Random Mumblings

(3B's PE Lesson at Holby Junior. They are playing Football. Peter has the ball and all the other children are crowding round him. Mr Jone is watching with a look of increasing despair)  
  
Kids: Peter, Peter, pass here (Etc.)  
  
(Miss Smiths Comes onto the field and walks over to Mr Jone)  
  
Mr Jone: (To Miss Smiths) Are they ever going to learn not to crowd the ball?  
  
Miss Smiths: No  
  
(Now Tom has the ball and all the kids are crowding him)  
  
Kids: Tom, Pass here, Tom (Etc.)  
  
Mr Jone: I think you may be right. Anyway, Mary, What are you doing here?  
  
Miss Smiths: Oh, I've just come to get Tom for the Drama club rehearsal in the hall.  
  
Mr Jone: Ok (shouting) TOM!  
  
(Tom walks over)  
  
Miss Smiths: Come on, we've got a drama club rehearsal  
  
[pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic]  
  
(In 1A's Classroom they are having a spelling test)  
  
Mrs Moore: Ok, the next word is because, the cat sat on the mat because it was tired, because.  
  
(Jake puts his hand up)  
  
Mrs Moore: Yes Jake  
  
Jake: How do you spell because?  
  
(The class giggle)  
  
Mrs Moore: No, it's a very good question. Which is why I'm asking you.  
  
Jake: Oh, don't you know?  
  
Mrs Moore: Yes, I know, but I want to know if you know.  
  
Jake: oh  
  
Spoiler – If you can keep your head, when all about are losing theirs and blaming it on you - then you don't know all the facts 


	6. A Birthday Present

George walked into the staff room and went over to her locker without noticing Colette sitting on the sofa.  
  
"How'd it go last night?" Colette asked, making George jump. George turned round.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"When Dan followed you out"  
  
" Well, I basically told him that he couldn't see Tom"  
  
"How did he react?"  
  
"I don't know, I didn't wait to find out." George turned back to her locker and opened it. Her face fell as she saw what was in it. A box with a note attached.  
  
  
  
George,  
  
Many happy returns and have a very happy birthday.  
  
I would have given this to you yesterday but I didn't think you would have appreciated it at your party.  
  
???  
  
Colette walked over and peered over her shoulder.  
  
"No prizes for guessing who this is from" George said. She opened the box and saw a silver necklace.  
  
"It's really pretty" Colette said.  
  
"What is?" Chloe asked walking in and walking over to them. George quickly screwed up the note and stuffed it in her pocket before Chloe saw it.  
  
"Ah, wow, who's it from?"  
  
"I don't know," George lied "I just found it in my locker"  
  
"Is there a note?"  
  
"No"  
  
"Let me put it on you"  
  
"NO" George said quickly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I um, well you see, I just don't want to lose it"  
  
"Yeah, and what safer place than round your neck?"  
  
"Yeah, but it might fall off"  
  
"What are the chances of that?"  
  
"Look, I just don't want to wear it. Ok?"  
  
"Yeah, sorry"  
  
"Look, I have my reasons"  
  
"Yeah," Chloe thought for a moment, the first thought that came into her head was 'Dan'. Chloe didn't know how George knew Dan, only Colette knew. But what they did know was that she did know him, that much they'd worked out. Duffy popped her head round the door at this moment, waking Chloe from her thoughts.  
  
"Sorry to bother you but we've got a major incident coming in"  
  
"What is it?" Colette asked  
  
"An electrical fire in the Holby School Hall. 5 major injuries, ages 27, 6, 7, 7 and 8."  
  
Spoiler – Charlie's in for a shock 


	7. Injury Time

1 Never Again – Part 7  
  
Re-cap  
  
Duffy popped her head round the door at this moment, waking Chloe from her thoughts.  
  
"Sorry to bother you but we've got a major incident coming in"  
  
"What is it?" Colette asked  
  
"An electrical fire in the Holby School Hall. 5 major injuries, ages 27, 6, 7, 7 and 8."  
  
  
  
"Ok, Coming" George said getting up.  
  
"George," Duffy said as they walked to resus, "You don't think that Peter, Jake or Tom…" She trailed off not wanting to say it.  
  
"Duffy," George said calmly "Tom and Peter are in P.E., the sports field is a long way away from the hall and Jake can't be one of them because he's only 5"  
  
"True," Suddenly as they were walking past, the link with the ambulances crackled to life.  
  
"We've got I.D. on the Major injuries" George picked up the phone.  
  
"Josh, it's George."  
  
"Ah, George, yes, could I possibly speak to…" Josh trailed off. He heard Duffy's voice "Duffy"  
  
"Fine," George said, confused as to why Josh wanted to speak to Duffy, or rather didn't want to speak to her. "Duffy" She called, "Josh wants to speak to you" Duffy hurried across, worriedly muttering to herself. George handed her the phone.  
  
"Hello, Josh?" Duffy heard Josh sigh, "What's wrong?"  
  
"I just couldn't talk to George"  
  
"Why what's happened?"  
  
"I've got the ID's on the major injuries"  
  
"That's great, I'll grab a pen and paper"  
  
"Yeah, just wait a moment. They are, Mary Smiths is the 27, Madeline Ellery is the 6, Justine Blaise is one of the 7's, and Danny Elspeth is the 8"  
  
"What about the other 7 year old?"  
  
"The other 7 year old is Tom Woodman"  
  
"Ah" Duffy put the phone down. "Charlie," She called to Charlie who was passing, "Just the person I wanted to see"  
  
"Now is not a good time Duffy"  
  
"Yeah, but I was thinking…"  
  
"I said not now Duffy"  
  
"But this is important"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Tom is one of the major injuries and as you've know George longer"  
  
"No, I haven't known her longer. But you want me to tell her"  
  
"Well kind of, yeah" Charlie was about to protest when Patrick came from resusc  
  
"Duffy, we need you," he said  
  
"See, I'm needed, now you have to do it" Duffy and Patrick walked into resusc. George walked past Charlie, about to go into Resusc.  
  
"Um, George"  
  
"Uh-uh"  
  
"Could I have a word?"  
  
"Well, We've kind of got a major incident coming in, so could it wait?"  
  
"No, not really,"  
  
"Fine"  
  
"Um, could you come with me to the relatives room?"  
  
"Why? What's going on Charlie?"  
  
"Could you just come with me?" As they were walking to the relatives room in silence all sorts of thoughts were racing round George's head.  
  
"Um, do you want to sit down?" Charlie asked when they got in there.  
  
"Ok, What's happened?" George asked, sitting down.  
  
"Um, Tom was hurt in the fire" Those were the words which George hoped she would never hear.  
  
"How badly?"  
  
"I don't know," He replied truthfully. George started crying.  
  
"Um, do you want me to contact anyone for you? The father?" George nodded  
  
"Um, do you have his name, a contact number"  
  
"You won't need a number" She muttered, her head in her hands.  
  
"Um, well a name then?" She muttered something, which Charlie didn't understand because she had her head in her hands.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Dan," She said lifting her head off her hands, "Dan Robinson"  
  
1.1 Spoiler  
  
The Gossips will love this won't they. 


	8. Chloe Discovers

1 Never Again – Part 8  
  
By Freddie  
  
Re-cap  
  
"Um, do you want me to contact anyone for you? The father?" George nodded  
  
"Um, do you have his name, a contact number"  
  
"You won't need a number" She muttered, her head in her hands.  
  
"Um, well a name then?" She muttered something, which Charlie didn't understand because she had her head in her hands.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Dan," She said lifting her head off her hands, "Dan Robinson"  
  
"Dan?" Charlie asked in astonishment. George nodded slowly, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"Um, I'll go and tell him then" Charlie walked out, and straight into Chloe.  
  
"You look like you've just seen a ghost Charlie" She said  
  
"I'm just... I'll tell you later, anyway do you know where Dan is?"  
  
"Probably having a heart attack in his office"  
  
"I hope not" He said, adding to himself "George has enough on her plate at the moment" A few minutes later when he arrived outside Dan's office Charlie hesitated, he'd told hundreds of relatives, but the worst was telling someone that he knew. He knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in" Dan's voice snapped. He walked in.  
  
"Oh, what is it Charlie?"  
  
"Um, Dan, it's about George" Dan looked up from behind his mountain of paperwork, "well, actually it's more Tom"  
  
"What is it?" Dan asked, worried.  
  
"Tom was, Tom was involved in the accident at the school, he was hurt in the fire"  
  
"No, no he couldn't have been"  
  
"I'm afraid he was"  
  
"How bad is it?"  
  
"I don't know, he's in resusc now. Um, do you want to come to the relatives room" Dan walked down in shock. George was in tears when he arrived. Dan sat next to her on the sofa and put an arm round her. Charlie walked out. She buried her head in Dan's shoulder, still crying.  
  
"We know what it's like out there," George said, through her tears, "It's Chaos, prepare for the worst and all that"  
  
"Yeah, Max's old saying, prepare for the worst, hope for the best" They were both crying by now.  
  
"Yeah," George said, sitting up, "That's the worst thing,"  
  
"What is?" Dan asked.  
  
"That's all that we can do, Hope. My Son…" She corrected herself, "Our son is lying in there and all we can do is hope, we don't even know how bad it is" As Dan hugged her, he didn't know who was comforting whom.  
  
Meanwhile outside Charlie was peeping through the blinds.  
  
"It's funny how something like that can bring people together, isn't it?" He commented to Chloe, who was standing behind him.  
  
"Something like what?" Chloe asked, for the umpteenth time.  
  
"Ok, I'll tell you. But not here, come to the staff room." As they walked to the staff room Charlie started explaining.  
  
"You know Tom was brought in, don't you"  
  
"Uh-uh" Chloe replied  
  
"Well, when I told George I asked if there was anyone who she wanted me to contact, such as the father and she basically told me that Dan was the father."  
  
"No wonder you looked like you'd seen a ghost. Well, I never saw that coming. Wait till Barney finds out"  
  
1.1 Spoiler  
  
With all the gossip flying round about Dan, how long is it going to be before Tom finds out the identity of his true father? 


	9. And They all lived Happily ever after

1 Never Again 9  
  
By Freddie  
  
Max took a deep breath and walked into the relatives' room. He hated this part of the job, talking to relatives, at the best of times, but this was worse. George and Dan were both his friends. At least it wasn't as bad as it could be. George and Dan both looked up as he walked in. Dan had his arm round George's shoulder and they both looked like they'd been crying. Max sat down.  
  
"Um, Well, he's stable. Um, he may need some surgery, because he's quite badly burnt on his right side and he's quite dehydrated but apart from that he seems fine. He was quite lucky"  
  
"Can we see him?" George asked. The use of the word 'we' wasn't completely lost on Max.  
  
"Yeah, of course you can. He's been asking for you"  
  
Meanwhile in admin Chloe, Barney, Duffy and Colette were talking about the revelation that Dan was Tom's father.  
  
"I believe that's 1 pound that you owe me Chloe" Barney said holding out his hand. Chloe begrudgingly handed over the money.  
  
"But what I don't understand is the fact that I remember George saying that Tom's father was domineering. Now it could just be that I'm an extremely bad judge of character but Dan doesn't seem particularly domineering, does he?" Duffy asked.  
  
"You're right," Colette said, "I asked her about that, because that was one of the things used to disprove Barney's theory that Dan was Tom's father…"  
  
"You Knew?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Yeah, She told me."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us then?"  
  
"Well, she made me swear not to, so I couldn't tell you. But anyway, She said that he wasn't domineering as much as, kind of, manipulative, you know, he, well, he knew how to um, well," Duffy held a finger to her mouth to signal that they should be quiet as George, Dan and Max were coming. A hush spread over the normally noisy Admin. It was obvious that everyone had been talking about George and Dan. As they walked through the door George's look said it all. It was her 'It's Ok, you don't have to stop talking about me just because I've entered the room, just carry on as if I'm not here' look.  
  
"Don't you have work to do?" Max asked the gossips. Max then led Dan and George through to resusc where Tom was lying on a trolley. George wiped away a tear. Tom, he looked so defenceless, so small. She was comforted by Dan's arm round her waist.  
  
"Mummy?" Hearing Tom's voice so weak was the last straw for George, the dam of tears that had been building up broke.  
  
"It'll be ok" Dan whispered as tears streamed down her face.  
  
"Mummy? Are you ok?"  
  
"Yes sweetie, I'm fine," George took a deep breath, "and I've brought someone to see you"  
  
"To see me?" Tom asked, weakly  
  
"Yes,"  
  
"Who is it?" George glanced sideways at Dan.  
  
"Daddy"  
  
"My Daddy?"  
  
"Yes,"  
  
"Where is he?" Tom asked, weak but excited. Dan took a deep breath.  
  
"I'm here, Tom" Tom looked at him.  
  
"You look younger in the photo's" Dan and George smiled.  
  
"That's because I am"  
  
"Oh, That would explain it." Tom said. At this point Colette walked over. She was well aware of how much had changed in the last hour.  
  
"Hello Colette" Tom said.  
  
"Hi Tom" She said, "um, I'm just going to take Tom up to X-ray, so if you could go to the relatives room, or something" George and Dan nodded as Spencer and Colette took Tom up to X-ray. As they walked through Admin a hush spread over it again.  
  
"Well, it's good to see we're keeping the gossip flowing" Dan said, when he and George got to the relatives room. George smiled, sitting down.  
  
"I really thought that we were going to lose him" She said, still slightly shocked. Dan sat down next to her.  
  
"Well, we didn't, did we?" George shook her head. "George, he's a survivor, just like his mum." Their eyes met.  
  
"Dan," George said quietly, "Don't leave me."  
  
"No," Dan murmured as they moved closer and kissed. As they pulled away he said, "Never Again"  
  
  
  
The End 


End file.
